Wanting 'stuff'

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Michael Hanson noted Bill O'Reilly's comments about the death of the white American establishment ("White fear of minorities," Forum, Nov. 20), but during O'Reilly's brief election night visit to Fox News, the conservative opinion leader also made this incredible statement:

"The demographics are changing. It's not a traditional America anymore. And there are 50 percent of the voting public who want stuff. They want things and who is going to give them things? President Obama. He knows it and he ran on it. … And the voters, many of them, feel that this economic system is stacked against them and they want stuff.

"You're going to see a tremendous Hispanic vote for President Obama. Overwhelming for President Obama and women will probably break President Obama's way. People feel that they are entitled to things and which candidate, between the two, is going to give them things?"

Many tea partyers are aping that "they want stuff" election analysis, yet amazingly, when Gov. Mitt Romney said the same thing just a week later, establishment Republicans roundly criticized him.